Home >> About Majorca >> Interesting places in Mallorca – Raixa Estate
Raixa Estate is one of the most iconic and interesting places on the island of Mallorca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not many people know about it, which is a big plus, as you can enjoy a comfortable and crowd-free stroll through this preserved example of the estates of past centuries. The second plus is the absolutely free entrance.
What the Raixa Estate is and where it is located
Raixa is an estate of Arab origin. It is located at the foot of the Sierra de Tramuntana hill in the municipality of Bunyola. It is quite easy to get there. It is located on the Palma-Soller route. By car it is quite easy to find it, but by bus it is more difficult – you will have to walk along a dirt road, getting off the bus that goes from Palma to Buñola.
In past centuries, the manor was a traditional family estate. It had several houses, farmland, irrigation systems, oil mills, and a farm with animals. In addition to all this, there were people living on the Raisha estate who worked for the owner of the estate.
The history of the Raixa Estate
As we have already mentioned, the Raixa estate is of Arab origin, meaning that it was built during the Arab rule on the island of Mallorca (from 902 to 1229). At that time the valley in which the estate is located was called Araisha in Arabic. This is where the present name of the place came from. Throughout its history, Raixa has passed through the hands of different families, each of whom have made adjustments and expanded the property until it has taken its present form. With the arrival of King Jaime I in Mallorca, many of the island’s lands were given away. Raixa came into the possession of Count Ponce IV.
The Despuig family (Counts of Montenegro and Montoro) was the most representative family that made the most changes to the estate. The first Count of Montenegro bought the Raixa estate on June 18, 1660. But the most important character of the Despuig family in the history of Raixa is Cardinal Antonio Despuig (1745-1813), who stood out as a patron of the arts and art collector. From his section of Italy, Cardinal Despuig brought a huge number of pieces to Raixa and founded a museum of classical sculpture in his Majorcan estate. Today, most of the sculptures brought by Despuig to Raixa can be seen in the museum Belver Castle.
In addition, Despuig transformed the Reisch estate into an Italian-style villa, adding arched loggias to the facade, and with the help of an Italian sculptor, designed and realized the beautiful gardens surrounding the house.
A visit to the Raixa Estate
You can to get to Raixa Estate booking private transfer. A visit to the estate begins with a short walk. Moving from the parking lot, you will notice in the distance the impressive size of the house and the large plot of land surrounding it. The front entrance to the Raixa is decorated with a family shield, and a few steps away is a small garden with a pond and a statue of Cardinal Despuig.
The walk inside the estate takes you through rooms that, although not furnished with furniture of the time, have a small museum with information presented both on posters and in video and audio. You can choose your own language and listen to stories about the Sierra de Tramuntana, the farm, life and customs. In the living room you will hear the conversation between the “ghosts” of Cardinal Despuig, Queen Isabella II, Santiago Rusiñol and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos. In the kitchen you will learn how the most typical recipes are prepared and Majorcan dishes depending on the time of year.
Around 1808, Mallorca’s longest arched gallery was built on the Raixa estate. From it you can enjoy the sunshine, beautiful views of the orchards and the garden of the Loggias.
Raixa Gardens
Cardinal Despuig wanted to create unique gardens, and he did. In the lower part of the estate there is a fruit and orange orchard, vineyards, an elegant loggia garden and a small garden at the entrance. But the most famous and beautiful without a doubt remains the garden of Apollo. It was created by Italian architect Lazzarini in 1802 and was inspired by the mythological passage about Apollo and Daphne. On the sides of the stone staircase are four ancient muses, and the side terraces symbolize a grand staircase for the gods. The steep staircase descends from the mountainside and is decorated with statues and fountains. It runs through the middle of the garden, which is arranged in tiers on both sides. The statue of Apollo crowns the top center of this magnificent ensemble.
The romantic garden imitates ancient ruins and is decorated with a small pond.
From this garden, take the steep path up to the Neo-Arab tower, which is located in the highest part of the gardens, decorated with colorful stained glass windows and offering a wonderful view of the Raixa estate and its surroundings. On clear days, you can see the sea and the Bay of Palma from there.
The large number of gardens required a serious water supply, so in 1807 the old cistern was converted into the present Safareig pond. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Mallorca and is 90 meters long, 18 meters wide and 7 meters deep.
Another garden is the Loggia Garden. It was so named because it overlooks the loggia with its arches. In the center of this garden is a fountain, and around it are ancient trees and bushes cut in geometric shapes.
Interesting facts about Raixa
3 movies have been filmed at the estate: 1982’s Death in the Sun, based on the novel by Agatha Christie; 1983’s Bearne, or Doll’s Room, and 1999’s Presence of the Spirit.
Hours of operation of the estate:
Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Sunday and other holidays are off.
